Lucanicum concatenatum is a chain-forming araphid pennate, assigned to Cyclophorales: Cyclophoraceae on the basis of morphological characters and DNA sequences, resembling Neosynedra, but with platelike plastids and striae mostly undivided by vimines. So far it has only been found growing on blue coral, Heliopora coerulea, but we do not suggest that it is restricted to this habitat. Its phylogenetic position, near Cyclophora, Florella and Astrosyne, requires amendment of the diagnosis of Cyclophorales, which included characters unique to C. tenuis, the only species in the order at that time. The question of the scope and description of the Cyclophoraceae remains unresolved.

Selwynia, is regarded as a senior subjective synonym of Aphanodactylus (Crustacea: Brachyura: Pinnotheroidea: Aphanodactylidae). This synonymy does not affect the family name Aphanodactylidae. A diagnosis is provided for Selwynia laevis and this species is re-described.

The bryozoan Schizoporella errata was found in the waters of the island of São Miguel (Azores, Portugal) in August 2013. Its occurrence in the Ponta Delgada Marina suggested that it had been newly introduced into the area, probably via maritime traffic, owing to the fouling proclivity of these cheilostome colonies. It may be expected that S. errata will disperse throughout the Azores Archipelago, being transported by recreational boating as a fouling component of hulls. Measures to minimize a rapid spread of the species should be addressed and the effects of its presence on the native community studied.

Five living specimens of the Aglajidae Spinoaglaja wildpretii are reported from north-eastern Sardinia (Tyrrhenian Sea); these are the first records from Italian shores, the first record of living specimens in the entire Mediterranean and they noticeably enlarge the known range of the species. Some ecological notes are added.

Prosthiostomum trilineatum of the family Prosthiostomidae has been reported for the first time from Ratnagiri, the west coast of India. This species has broadly rounded anterior end, tapering body, distinct orange-yellow, black and white frontal transverse bands and yellow-black longitudinal stripe. For the first time histological details of this species are presented. This confirms the presence of a pair of free prostatic vesicles and sclerotized stylet peculiar to the genus Prosthiostomum. This species is known from Japan, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Red Sea and Singapore. This is also a new record of the family Prosthiostomidae from this coast. To consider the currently known two colour morphs of this species, other than presented here, a comparative examination of the reproductive system and molecular details is needed.

Previous studies indicated that a tropical mottled eel Anguilla marmorata Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 had been found in Peninsular Malaysia. After reexamination of a number of key characters of a preserved specimen, the species was identified as Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis Gray, 1831. This is the first record of the occurrence of this species in Malaysian waters. There was no eel aquaculture around the eel habitats. Thus, A. bengalensis bengalensis is a native eel species in Malaysia. The new record is suggestive of an offshore spawning area and migration route to the Malaysian coast.

A six metre adult male of the white shark Carcharodon carcharias was caught by demersal longliners operating off Dompu, Indonesia. The specimen was landed and sold at Tanjung Luar landing site in eastern Lombok. Photographic evidence for this specimen is provided and an upper lateral tooth was retained. This is the first confirmed record of the species in Indonesian waters.

Indonesia has a diverse range of cetacean species, yet there are few records of their distribution, especially from remote regions. Incidental sightings from aerial surveys were conducted in 2006 and boat-based surveys were conducted from 2006–2011 in Raja Ampat in the Bird's Head Seascape, Indonesia. This paper is the first to provide a species list and an indication of the spatial and temporal distribution of cetaceans in central and southern Raja Ampat. Seven dolphin and six whale species were documented, including Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis, Bryde's Balaenoptera edeni, sperm Physeter macrocephalus, killer Orcinus orca and pygmy killer Feresa attenuata whales. Temporal differences in sightings suggest Raja Ampat is an important area for migratory whale species and resident populations of Indo-Pacific humpback Sousa chinensis, spinner Stenella longirostris and common bottlenose Tursiops truncatus dolphins. Cetacean diversity was highest in the months of January–February, May and October–November, with most sightings recorded in Kofiau marine protected area and Dampier and Sagewin Straits. Diversity and species distribution data are critical for managing cetaceans in Indonesia. Emerging threats to cetaceans in Raja Ampat include seismic surveys for seabed oil and gas exploration, potential strikes from increasing ship traffic, entanglement in fishing nets and increasing discharge of plastic pollution from urban areas. In addition to regulations for marine protected areas, a wider conservation strategy is required to address or better manage emerging threats to Raja Ampat, and to ensure the long-term protection of resident and migratory dolphin and whale species.

A total of 34 marine algae are reported for the first time based on historical herbarium collections from the marine shores of Tonga in the central South Pacific Ocean: eight Rhodophyta and 26 Chlorophyta. One species of Rhodophyta, i.e. Trichogloea requienii, and four species of Chlorophyta, i.e. Caulerpa plumulifera, Codium extricatum, Udotea glaucescens and Valoniopsis pachynema, represent the first records from central Polynesia. The red alga Titanophora pikeana has only been previously reported in this region from the adjacent western Melanesian islands of Fiji and the isolated Hawaiian Islands to the north. The other 28 algal species are widely distributed marine species around tropical and subtropical islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The African brown snapper Lutjanus dentatus is a fish native of the West African coastal zone of the Atlantic Ocean. Here we document the first recorded capture of this species in the Canary Islands, an archipelago close to Africa, in August 2013.

Porpita porpita widely occurs in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea. In spite of its presence in the north-western Indian Ocean with records from the eastern Arabian Sea (Indian coast), its distribution in the North Arabian Sea, at the Pakistan coast has been found lacking in the literature. The present report deals with the occurrence of P. porpita at the Karachi coast of Pakistan and confirms its presence in the region.

Two species of Eriocheir have been recorded from the Middle East. The Chinese mitten crab, E. sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853, has been reported from the Anzali Marshland, northern Iran and recently, the Hepu mitten crab E. hepuensis Dai, 1991, from Iraqi waters. The present record of E. hepuensis from the Bahmanshir River, Abadan, southern Iran, documents the presence of the species in the Karun River system, confirms the occurrence of the species in the Persian Gulf and establishes a possible range extension in the region.

Mytilopsis leucophaeata naturally occurs in oligo- to mesohaline estuaries along the Atlantic coast of the USA and Mexico. In Brazil, M. leucophaeata was first recorded in 2004 in estuaries adjacent to the Port of Recife (Pernambuco State, north-eastern Brazil). Here, we present the second record of the species in Brazil, and the first for the south-eastern region, in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon (Rio de Janeiro State). This lagoon, located within a major urbanized area of Rio de Janeiro City, is highly affected by coastal development, but used for various nautical sports. The imminence of the Olympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, requires specific attention to the importance of monitoring and controlling this new invasive species. Action has to be taken to prevent its dispersal to other estuarine and lagoon ecosystems of Rio de Janeiro State due to movement of boats and sport equipment.

The caprellid amphipod, Caprella mutica, is a well-known invasive species, originating in the Sea of Japan, which has been rapidly expanding along the coasts of North America, Europe and Oceania for the last forty years. Caprella mutica is frequently associated with man-made structures, especially those dedicated to aquaculture activities, where it can reach high densities of up to 300,000 ind./m2. A well-established population of C. mutica was recently found by SCUBA-divers in Galician waters (north-west Spain) at 6 different man-made floating structures along Ría de Arousa. The record of this species in this location implies a new southernmost limit of distribution, extending the known distribution range in Atlantic European waters and confirming the continuity of the colonization southwards.

The presence of the offshore rockfish, Pontinus kuhlii (Scorpaeniformes, Scorpaenidae), is reported for the first time in Maltese waters (Strait of Sicily). One specimen was caught offshore Gozo (Maltese archipelago) in October 2013 by bottom longline. The eastward range expansion within the Mediterranean of this Atlantic species is discussed.

This paper reports the first record of the narrowmouth catshark Schroederichthys bivius from the coast of Paraná State, southern Brazil, increasing its distribution along the Brazilian coast.

Lissoclinum midui was collected from Lyudao (Green Island), Taiwan. This is the first record outside of the type locality, Kumejima Island (Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan), of this species. The colonies in Lyudao were found on non-geniculate coraline algae covering the coral limestones in the reef crest (0.5–1 m deep). They were not rare at the collection sites, and it is uncertain why this species has only been recorded in the two sites in Taiwan–Ryukyus. It may be that the shallow, wave-exposed reef crest is a poorly investigated habitat for small benthic invertebrates.

Two species of Champsodon (Champsodontidae)—C. vorax and C. nudivittis were collected for the first time from the northern Arabian Sea at a depth of 282–393 m. This finding significantly expands the known distribution of the two species and supports the suggestion that the recent finding of both species in the eastern Mediterranean is due to their migration through the Suez Canal.

The occurrence of Monodactylus kottelati is reported for the first time from the Chilika Lagoon extending the range of the species to the east coast of India and providing the first substantiated report of the species from Indian waters. The 79 mm standard length specimen from Chilika Lagoon is described in the present paper. Its affinity and distribution is also discussed.

This paper provides an account of twelve intertidal species of hydroids reported from the State of Gujarat, north-west India. Six of them constitute new records for the coast of Gujarat, and four are reported for the first time from waters of India. Also reported for the first time from Indian waters are the genera Zyzzyzus and Nemalecium.